


Prismatic

by ShatteredSwallowtail



Series: Taming Dragons [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23833753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShatteredSwallowtail/pseuds/ShatteredSwallowtail
Summary: In no conceivable way will Aymeric's honour allow him to not return Estinien's Valentione's day gift. His only problem is just what to get his dragoon....I really should put these in a series. Takes place after my last Estimeric work.
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Estinien Wyrmblood
Series: Taming Dragons [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733218
Kudos: 31





	Prismatic

Quill tip tapping idly against the parchment, Aymeric glanced down only to muffle a soft curse as the errant spot of ink bled across the surface in precisely the spot he _didn’t_ want it to be. He stretched his shoulders with a frustrated groan as he balled up the piece of parchment and tossed it into the wastebasket before beginning with a fresh sheet. From her position by the door, Lucia watched him sidelong and sighed before clearing her throat. “My lord, that is the ninth piece of parchment you have spotted thusly. Perhaps it would help if you were to address what is bothering you ere you go through an entire stack.”

Which was simply a tactful way of giving him leave to talk about the absent dragoon. Lucia was no fool; she was honestly glad for them. Not only that they had finally seemed to come to an arrangement that made them both happy, but that she hadn’t been forced to do something herself to facilitate it. With the one being so stubborn and focused and the other equally focused and so wrapped up in propriety it was a wonder that either man had been able to admit to the way they mooned over each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. At least, she was fairly certain Aymeric hadn’t noticed. Estinien was sharper, and it wouldn’t have surprised her at all if the dragoon had been as aware of her commander’s poorly executed attempts at stealthy staring as she had been. When the suggestion was met with silence, she sighed and spoke again. “Is it regarding Estinien, my lord?”

Of course she knew; he would have been surprised had she not figured it out by now when one considered the gifts and the visits and the fact that she seemed to always turn any inquiries for his attention away on those nights that Estinien came calling. And though some part of him had at first worried what she would think, those doubts had been swiftly put to rest when she had commented idly that it was good to see him so happy. Setting down his quill, Aymeric stretched cramping fingers with a sigh as he nodded. Perhaps she was right; talking about it might even provide insight that he had not yet considered. “Aye, it is. I’m sure you recall that he visited a scant week ago, yes? He… brought me a gift. For Valentione’s.”

One pale eyebrow raised slightly at the admission and she made the mental connection between this new bit of information and the new jewelry that her commander had been sporting as of late. That must have been the gift that Estinien had brought. Though… hadn’t he been happy with the gift? “My lord, forgive me for not understanding but… were not you happy with his gift? I have not seen you without it since that morning when Estinien left.”

He shook his head, fingers absently going to touch the small ruby in his new accessory. “Not at all, I am quite taken with it and therein lies the problem. I treasure all of the things that he has gifted me with and yet I have given him nothing in return.” Which wasn’t entirely true; he had gifted the dragoon his love and his body and his heart...but those things were different. And Estinien had never been the romantic betwixt the two of them. It had been Aymeric who had chided his friend on the need to properly woo someone he fancied, and yet he had yet to gift his lover so much as a sweet roll. A fact that weighed most heavily on his conscience and his honour, leastwise of all because Estinien was the most difficult person in all of the Alliance to shop for. So much of his life had been devoted to his vengeance, to destroying Nidhogg’s taint and gaining strength that the silver-haired man had eschewed hobbies and friendships. Anything that had not served to enhance and better his prowess or his strength had been deemed a pointless waste of time. “That fact vexes me sorely, Lucia…. It is not honourable to accept such a heartfelt token from him without gifting something of similar value in return. And yet, I am left with no ideas. And the situation is made all the more difficult in the fact that I know not when I will see him again. Had I the means and time to do so, I would plan some manner of special day. Something to…” He raised a hand and let it flop back to the desk in helpless frustration as he shook his head.

“Something to demonstrate how important he is to you, my lord?” She replied with a half smirk as her commander nodded helplessly. He really was rather adorable when he was out of his element, when the mask dropped away. Not that her loyalty had ever gone beyond enduring friendship, but that hardly changed the fact that seeing the leader of Ishgard’s forces so flustered was rather endearing. “Well… when one considers the unsurety of when your next meeting with him will be, that would certainly rule out anything perishable. Though I have heard that you are quite the cook, perhaps some manner of foodstuffs is an idea best left for a future time.”

Her suggestion certainly had merit, and it was a sight better than he had done so far in narrowing down his ideas. “Truly, that is a wise consideration. I had thought to make him some of those raspberry tarts that he is so fond of, having acquired the recipe… but I fain they would be stale and hard as stones ere I was able to gift them to him. And beyond that… “

“Not enough meaning, my lord?” She finished for him, a questioning tone to her statement as she nodded. “Precisely. And thus the source of my vexation. Estinien has spent so much of his life solely dedicated to his cause that he has scorned all hobbies and similar pastimes. Deeming them a waste of his valuable time. As such, I am at a loss as to what to gift him with.”

Lucia chewed her lower lip as she considered that he was right. While she certainly didn’t know the dragoon as well as Aymeric did… never once had she seen him indulge in anything that could be construed as a hobby or a pastime. Even his preferred foods or drinks were a mystery as he just seemed to take whatever was close at hand without complaint. “Then perhaps…something that speaks to you, my lord. Something that...speaks to what you mean to each other, to something shared betwixt only you two. Perhaps that would be the most meaningful gift that you could present him with. Rest, my lord. You’ve spent enough time working for Ishgard. Take some time and I’m certain you will discover the perfect gift for your dragoon.”

Her candor was appreciated and he chuckled with a sigh as he nodded. Knowing full well that he wouldn’t stop working and knowing just as well that she _knew_ he wouldn’t stop working. Estinien would have stolen his quill but Lucia just gave him a knowing smirk and a respectful salute before she left the room. Aymeric turned his attention back to the paperwork. Tapping a fingertip against it as his eyes wandered to the small ruby-eyed dragon figurine on his desk with a smile. They reminded him of Estinien’s new eye colour, as much as he knew his lover was still struggling to come to terms with the way steel blue sparked and glowed red the moment that his emotions rose. It was the entire reason he had since refused to remove his helm unless it was the two of them alone… The thought trailed off as his own eyes widened and a sudden realization hit him. Of course…. It would be perfect. Now to just get a few things together and he would have it ready when Estinien came home to Ishgard again.

Which, as his luck would have it, turned out to be in another fortnight or so as the dragoon came stealing into his bedchamber late on a stormy night. Raising a pale brow to find Aymeric seemingly waiting for him as he strode across the room, pulling off his helm to let long silver hair fall around his shoulders. “Expecting company, my lord?” There was the slightest edge to his voice as a ruby glint began to shine in his eyes. While he had certainly been gone, and had no right to ask… there had been something of an understanding. Or so he had believed, though if his lord had been expecting another in his dressing gown and with two glasses of wine on the table..

“Of course. You.” His answer was delivered with a soft smile as he gestured to the set table. “Although I must confess that I may have gained rather a reputation for being oft in my cups when one considers the number of bottles that I have gone through thusly.” Estinian cocked his head to the side as he approached, one eyebrow raised as he considered the implications of that statement. “My lord, if I take your meaning thusly, you have waited for me in this manner… every night ere the last morn we parted? Seems a waste of good wine.” Reaching for one of the glasses, he paused as sharp eyes took note of the small metal box sitting beside it. Quite similar to the one that he had gifted to Aymeric weeks ago. He shot a glance at his lover in questioning and was rewarded with a slightly smug smile.

“I believe it was once said that it is good manners to open a gift when one is presented with it, my own.”

Having his own words being parroted back at him drew something akin to an exasperated scowl from the dragoon before he picked up the small box and opened it to reveal a familiar earring with a pale blue pendant stone. The same one Aymeric had worn for so long before the new black one had replaced it. A rather touching sentiment and he couldn’t help but smile softly as he brushed fingertips over it. “A trinket for a trinket, my lord? You needn’t have.”

“I didn’t.” He responded with a shake of his head. “Tis similar, yes….but not the same. This one I crafted for you. Within the stone is the tiniest of glamour prisms.” Aymeric’s explanation seemed only to confuse his lover more and he stood up with a smile to close the distance. Reaching up to gently trace a finger against the small black scales beneath Estinien’s ear, he grasped a lock of silver hair to pull him down for a tender kiss before speaking. “Dearest one… regardless of your appearance or your nature, I would choose you again and again. You have my heart and you always shall and truly I find your changes to only add to the man whom I love most desperately. Yet I am not blind to the difficulty that you face in not only accepting those changes but in facing the world outside our home with them. So to return the gift you so selflessly gave me… I wished to grant you some measure of reprieve from those worries that weigh so heavily upon you.”

As the implication of Aymeric’s words sunk in, his own eyes widened as he searched that blue gaze for confirmation and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Aymeric, I…. I have not the words for this…” His comprehension again snapped into focus as the other thing his lover had said registered and he reached an almost shaking hand up to rest his palm against his lord’s cheek. “My lord, d... did you say…..?” Swallowing hard, he raised his other hand to cradle Aymeric’s face as his lover leaned in to press their foreheads together with a smile. “Yes, I did. And I will say it again, Estinien; that I love you so dearly I could scarce find words to express it.” Winding his other arm around Estinien’s waist, he nuzzled into his dragoon’s shoulder as his tight embrace was returned with a shuddering intake of breath. “I…. I am not a man of words, Aymeric, but I… surely you know….”

Of course he knew, and while it would have been lovely to hear the words returned...neither did he require them to know that they were there and they were meant. Whispering into one ear as his fingers started unbuckling armour, he chuckled softly. “Of course I know, dearest one… Now come to bed. It is not yet so late, but I would not waste a moment that I have you for. Perhaps one morn I will manage to convince you to stay so that I might cook breakfast for us.”

Breakfast… _did_ sound nice…. Especially if it was Aymeric who was cooking, and he allowed a smile to grace his features as he helped strip himself of the impeding metal to get closer to his lover’s warmth. “Perhaps so, my lord… one can only wait and see.”


End file.
